MEMORIAL
BAPTIST CHURCH, INC.
CONSTITUTION
PREAMBLE
It should be stressed that the true ministry plan or
constitution of this church is God’s Holy Word; however, as required by the laws
of the State of
All scriptures taken from New American Standard
Bible (updated).
ARTICLE I:
NAME
The name of the church is Memorial Baptist Church,
Inc., henceforth stated as
ARTICLE II:
OUR PURPOSE AND PRIORITIES
Section 1: Our Purpose.
The purpose of
Section 2: Our Priorities.
A. Biblically Sound
Worship: We believe the fundamental
principle undergirding a right view of worship is that the methods and
practices of worshipping God are solely the province of God and not the
province of man; therefore, we strive to adhere to the regulative principle of
worship as stated in article 22 of our doctrinal beliefs—The 1689 Baptist
Confession of Faith.
B.
Christ-centered Evangelism: We
believe that it is the privilege and responsibility of every member of
C. Covenantal Fellowship: We believe that regular fellowship among the
body is a vital part of our spiritual and filial health.
D. Discipleship: We believe
that it is important for every member of
ARTICLE
III: DOCTRINAL POSITIONS
Section 1: Doctrinal Position for membership
All persons wishing to join
Section 2: Doctrinal Position for elders, deacons, and all
teachers
All elders, deacons, and teachers must agree with
and teach according to the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith with minor
revisions to articles 18.3, 22.7, and 22.8.
ARTICLE
IV: MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: Becoming a Member.
Membership in
Section 2: Congregational Business Meetings:
Congregational Business Meetings shall be called by
the General Council of Elders (GCE) for one or more of the following reasons:
A. Affirming or changing the
constitution and bylaws.
B. Calling or dismissing the
senior pastor.
C. Calling or dismissing staff
members.
D. Acquisition or disposition
of church property, i.e. major building program.
E. Affirmation of elders or
deacons.
F. Approval of annual budget.
G. Approval of any item(s)
costing more than ten percent (10%) of the amount of the church’s current
annual operating budget for tithes and offerings.
A Congregational vote requires a quorum of at least
10% of the active membership as defined in the
A congregational vote is taken to bear witness to
and affirm what God is saying to the congregation on the particular matter. Members shall be asked to vote
either in favor of (affirm) or against (not affirm) the course of action
presented.
If the
congregational vote for any item presented is less than 90%, the elders GCE shall reconsider their decision
before proceeding. The elders GCE
shall not be required to present the item to the congregation for another vote,
but shall report any the
action taken. During every such meeting,
a period of discussion and an opportunity for amendments shall be offered
before a vote is cast.
A two week verbal notice from the pulpit is required
for any congregational business meeting. This announcement will be made from the
pulpit, posted on the church bulletin board, and printed in the weekly bulletin
for two consecutive weeks.
Section 3: Membership Responsibilities.
A. Expressing suggestions or
concerns. It is the nature of the Body of Christ to be a caring body. Therefore, any member may share with an elder(s)
any suggestions or concerns for the betterment of the church body in light of
pertinent Scripture.
B. Attitude toward local church
leaders. A congregation must have the proper positive attitude toward its
elders (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13).
C. Ministry within the body. We
believe that each member has at least one God-given spiritual gift to be used
within the body for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7), and the building up
of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12; 1 Peter 4:10); therefore, each member is expected to serve in some capacity for
the expansion of the kingdom and the edification of the body.
D. Responsibilities of members
toward one another. Each member of
1. Love one another (John
2. Give preference to one
another in honor (Romans
3. Forgive one another
(Ephesians
4. Encourage one another to
love and good deeds (Hebrews
5. Bear one another’s burdens
(Galatians 6:2).
6. Practice hospitality (Romans
7. Serve one another (Galatians
8. Pray for one another (James
9. Lovingly and scripturally
confront sin within the body (Galatians 6:1; Matthew
E. Responsibilities of members
to the church. Members will share the
responsibility for our church by praying for its growth, financially supporting
the ministries with tithes and offerings, inviting the unchurched to attend,
and by warmly welcoming those who visit.
F. Attendance in Bible
study. Members will strive to regularly
participate in small group Bible studies to grow in their faith and knowledge
of the truth. At MBC, all members are enrolled in a Sunday school class and
are expected to faithfully attend (Deuteronomy 31:12-13; Nehemiah 8:3; Hebrews
Section 4: Removal from Active Membership. Membership may be terminated by one of the
following:
A. Death of the member.
B. Letter of transfer to
another church of like faith.
C. By written request of member
desiring termination (provided the member is not under church discipline). This request must be made to an appropriate
church leader, i.e.: pastor, elder, or Sunday school teacher.
D. Exclusion as an act of
church discipline (Matthew
ARTICLE V: AFFILIATION
MBC is a Southern Baptist Church and affiliates with
the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in its national, state and local
expressions. Our affiliation with the
SBC does not prevent MBC from associating with other groups of churches or
mission causes seeking to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ (Matthew
28:19-20).
ARTICLE VI:
CHURCH GOVERNMENT, LEADERSHIP, AND
OFFICERS
Section 1: The Chief Shepherd.
The Lord Jesus is the Chief Shepherd of this
congregation. He alone is the head of the Church (Ephesians
Section 2: Elders, Teaching
and Ruling:
A. General statement. In its
operation, MBC will be governed by a group of godly men called elders. We trust that God will rise up these godly
men and will establish them as true spiritual leaders in the church. These
shall be men who evidence the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, who have
given a worthy witness of the authority of Christ in their lives, and who have
met the qualifications given in the Scriptures. Elders should seek first to
serve God and the body of Christ. Elders will be men who (1) devote themselves
to prayer in order that they may seek the mind of Christ, recognizing that He
is the true and only head of the church, and (2) devote themselves to the
ministry of the Word, that they may faithfully and accurately live and teach
the Word (Acts 6:4). Authority for the day-to-day ministry matters will reside
in the hands of the elders, whether in full-time compensated service or
otherwise.
B. Responsibilities of Elders.
The elders shall be responsible for:
1. Exercising a general
superintendence over the church, (Acts 20:28; John 21:15-17).
2. Setting an example in the
study and teaching of the Word of God (1 Timothy 5:7, 3:2; 1 Thessalonians
3. Being good managers or
stewards of their God-given ministry (Titus 1:7).
4. Giving diligent labor,
caring leadership, and guided counsel in the Word (1 Thessalonians
5. Exercising pastoral care and
hospitality (1 Thessalonians
6. Overseeing all ministry
teams.
7. In the absence of a pastor,
the elders shall serve as the pulpit search committee and be responsible for
seeing that the pulpit is filled weekly.
They may choose to invite additional members to serve on the team if
they so desire.
C. Qualifications of Elders.
The basic qualifications of elders are spelled out in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus
1:6-9 and are interpreted by the GCE of MBC as follows:
1. Above reproach: He has a good reputation.
2. Husband of one wife: This statement does not means that a
man must be married to be an elder; however, if he is married, he is faithful
to his wife—loving her like Christ loved the church.
3. Temperate: He has control over his appetites and
inclinations or desires.
4. Self-controlled: He has control over his emotions and actions.
5. Respectable: Honorable, not an offensive person in his
language or behavior.
6. Hospitable: Open and caring to all people.
7. Able to teach: Has a thorough understanding of the Bible,
and he possesses the ability and desire to convey it to others.
8. Not given to drunkenness: He is not a drunkard, abuser of prescription
medication(s), or user of illegal drugs.
9. Not violent: He is not a physically or verbally violent
person.
10. Gentle: Inclined toward tenderness.
11. Not quarrelsome: He is a peacemaker.
12. Free from the love of money: He is a generous giver. We expect all Elders, as a minimum, to biblically
tithe from their household income to MBC.
13. Has control over his
household: He is the spiritual leader of
his home.
14. Not a recent convert – A man
may be considered for ruling elder who has been a Christian for at least forty-eight
months (48) months, is at least thirty (30) years of age, and has been a member
of MBC for at least twenty-four (24) months.
15. He must have a good
reputation outside the church.
16. Holy and devout (Titus 1:8): He is faithful to his Lord and the church.
17. Upright (Titus 1:8): Fair in all relationship and monetary
dealings.
18. Doctrinally discerning (Titus
1:9): He is able to recognize doctrine
that is contrary to historical Christianity and contradictory to our doctrinal
convictions.
19. All elders at
This is not an exhaustive list of qualifications and
responsibilities. The governing elders
have the responsibility to interview and evaluate perspective elders on a case
by case basis.
D. General Council of Elders.
The totality of elders shall constitute the General Council of Elders (GCE) who
are commissioned to govern the church under the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus
Christ (1 Peter 5:4). The goal of the GCE shall be to consist of no less than five (5) elders. The GCE shall
prayerfully seek unanimous agreement in all matters since we believe the Holy
Spirit guides with oneness of mind (Acts 15:1-29; Philippians 2:1-2). In matters of compensation or discipline of an
elder, the elder in question shall abstain.
1. Selection of Chairman: The chairman of the GCE must be approved by
the GCE annually.
2. Selection of Elders: The process for selecting elders is outlined
in the
3. Dismissal of Elders: Any elder may be dismissed by a decision of
the GCE. This shall be done within the confines of 1 Timothy 5:20 and the
4. Teaching Elders: The staff of the church may act as teaching elders if so appointed. There shall be no distinction between
teaching elders and ruling elders. Being paid staff, however, does not
automatically render a person a teaching elder. All who serve as teaching elders must be qualified according to scriptural
qualifications. Paid staff, if appointed
as teaching elders, will be of equal authority as other teaching and ruling elders.
Employment will be a matter of separate
and distinct consideration. A full-time teaching elder will be held accountable to the GCE,
as are all teaching and ruling elders, without distinction.
5. Meetings: The GCE will meet
as often as necessary to carry on their particular duties.
6. Accountability: The GCE is a self-disciplining body with
members accountable to one another (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Timothy 5:19-20). Each
elder is under the oversight of the General Council and subject to both
formative and corrective discipline as are all members of the church. The GCE
shall report to the congregation on the ministries of the church as needed.
7. Tenure of Service: No limit
is placed upon the time that an elder may serve. The emphasis is that each one actively
serves, not just attends meetings. Each must be active in ministry to remain an
elder. Activity is defined in the
Section 3: Church Staff. All church staff matters are addressed specifically
in the
Section 4: Deacons.
A. General Statement. The New
Testament gives a clear indication of two ordained offices in the local church:
elder and deacon. Unlike elders who rule the church, deacons serve (diakonos)
the church. As distinct officers in the
local church, they are referred to in the plural (diakonoi, Philippians 1:1)
and are mentioned in addition to elders in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. The primary responsibility of deacons is to provide
hands-on ministry within the local body of believers freeing the elders to
focus on prayer, preaching, teaching, and overseeing (Acts 6:1-6). The details
of the deacon ministry is outlined in the MBC Operations Manuel.
B. Qualifications: The qualifications for deacon are listed in 1
Timothy 3:8-13 and defined in section 2 (qualifications for elders) of this article. The major distinction between the qualification
and responsibilities of deacons and elders is that deacons are to serve the
body of Christ not rule over it. This
distinction is made clear by Titus 1:9.
Unlike elders, deacons do not have to be able to, “exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.”
C. Responsibilities: Deacons shall assist the elders and ministry
teams in the work of the ministry and serve for the various needs of the
church. They may be assisted by members who feel led to help accomplish the
ministry of serving and caring for the people.
D. Tenure of Service. No limit
is placed upon the time a deacon may serve. However, deacons must be active in
a service ministry to remain an active deacon.
E. Selection: The process for selecting deacons is outlined
in the MBC Operations Manual.
F. Ordination: Those selected and affirmed will be ordained
as deacons to serve in this local body. This ordination shall follow the
teaching of Scripture concerning the visible “laying on of hands” (Acts 6:6).
Section 5: Ministry Teams.
The GCE will oversee the various ministries of the
church through ministry teams. The
number and function of ministry teams are addressed in the
Section 6: The Priesthood of All Believers and the
Spiritual Leaders of the Church.
We believe in the priesthood of the believer as
stated in the New Testament (1 Peter 2:5; Revelation 1:6,
Section 7: The Role of Women in the
The role and service of women in the New Testament
is made evident in the Gospels (Luke
1:26-56, 2:36-38, 8:2-3; Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41), the account of the
early church (Acts 1:14, 5:14, 6:1, 9:36, 12:12, 16:14, 17:34, 18:2; et al),
and the epistles to the believers throughout the Mediterranean world (Romans 16:
1, 3, 6, 13, 15; 1 Corinthians 1:11; Philippians 4:2-3; 1 Timothy 3:11, et al).
The Scriptures show that women played an active part in the life of each
congregation.
In Galatians 3:28, Paul points out that in Christ
Jesus male and female are one. There is an equality before the Lord.
Balanced with that is a distinction in the roles of men and women in the
ministries of the local church. The teaching of the Apostle Paul is that a wife
should so behave as not to show superiority over her husband. This does not
mean that a woman cannot know more than a man or be a leader in certain areas,
but in the church she should not do anything or assume any role which may
adversely affect the husband-wife relationship.
The Scriptures instruct that the particular role of
elder is reserved for qualified and called men only (1 Timothy 3:1, 8; Titus 1:5-6).
The roles given to women complement and enhance the total ministry of the local
body of believers (e.g., Romans 16:1; 1 Timothy 2:9-10, 5:10, 14, 16; Titus
2:3-5). It should be remembered that the
Word of God never seeks to hamper men or women in their service roles, but
rather seeks to direct them in fulfilling their roles in a way that promotes
holiness in daily life, fruitfulness in service, unity in the body of Christ,
and harmony in the family (Ephesians 4-5; Colossians 3).
Section 8: Board of Trustees and Officers.
The GCE shall act as the legal representative of the
church. Its members shall hold in trust the property of the church and shall
act as agents in the purchase, sale, mortgage, lease, transfer, or any
extensive repair of the church property.
ARTICLE
Church Discipline serves to maintain unity, purity,
faithfulness, fear, and reverence in the church (1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 2
Thessalonians 3:6-18; Matthew 18:15-18; 2 Corinthians 2:5-7; 1 Timothy 5:19-24;
and Galatians 6:1.). Furthermore, church
discipline is one of the characteristics of a true church; therefore, MBC
intends to practice Biblical church discipline as outlined in the MBC
Operations Manuel.
ARTICLE
VIII: FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
The church treasurer(s), in conjunction with the GCE
and ministry team leaders, are responsible for putting together an annual
budget for review by the finance ministry team prior to presentation to the
church family. Staff and lay leaders are responsible for budget lines that come
under their area of ministry responsibility. The church body shall approve the budget
annually. The procedures for expenditure
of the budget are outlined in the MBC Operation Manual.
An independent audit shall be performed by the GCE
when deemed necessary.
ARTICLE IX: PROPERTY RIGHTS
No member of the GCE, trustees, deacons, or any
other church member, has any individual right to any part of the property of
the church. No one member of the church or any administrative ministry team may
be held responsible for the corporate obligations of the church.
ARTICLE X: BYLAWS AND AMENDMENTS
The GCE shall draft and amend according to the
following guidelines. Such bylaws as are
necessary for the implementation of this constitution.
A. No bylaw in violation of the
Scriptures or of the terms of this constitution shall be valid.
B. Notice of any proposed Ministry
Plan amendments must be made with a two week
verbal notice
from the pulpit. This notice will be
made from the pulpit, posted on the church bulletin board, and printed in the
weekly bulletin for two consecutive weeks.
C. Any amendments to this
constitution must be based upon the unanimous recommendation of the GCE and the
affirmative consensus of the voting membership.
[1]If a candidate for membership was immersion
baptized in a church that believes baptism is essential for salvation, that
candidate may be required to receive believer’s baptism as a condition of
membership in MBC. The GCE will make
this decision on a case by case occurrence.